By Our Diplomatic Correspondent
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Information dismissed on Thursday a news report claiming that Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft were being used against the Yemen’s Houthis as “fake and fabricated”.
A New York Times report published on Oct 7, a screenshot of which the ministry shared in an X post, cited an unnamed source as saying that PAF fighter jets were being employed against the group, amid the latter’s escalating conflict with Saudi Arabia.
But the information ministry denied the report, saying in a post on X that the NYT story “attributing the employment of PAF aircraft against Houthis is fake and fabricated”.
“International media houses are again asked to avoid speculative reporting with regards to employment of Pakistan’s military forces under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.
“Details of any deployment, if necessary, will be given by the authorities concerned,” it added.
Earlier this week, the ministry also termed a Reuters report claiming the deployment of 30,000 to 40,000 Pakistani troops in Saudi Arabia as “speculative”.
The development comes after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye agreed to the deployment of military forces and capabilities rapidly in the kingdom during an emergency meeting of the Makkah Defence Alliance in Riyadh on Monday.
The defence pact, signed on Aug 7, aims to strengthen collective deterrence and empower its signatory states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them.
Monday’s meeting under the alliance was held to address the security developments and threats facing Saudi Arabia.
A statement issued by the Foreign Office after the meeting said the member states had “decided to move immediately to the practical implementation of the collective defence commitments and to take the necessary measures to provide the agreed military forces and capabilities and ensure their rapid deployment in the kingdom, in accordance with the approved arrangements and the national legislation of the parties, thereby enhancing readiness, military integration, and the collective capacity to confront and counter threats”.
Separately, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who was part of Pakistan’s delegation in the meeting, joined Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’ via telephone the same day and said Saudi Arabia had made “gains and recovered some areas” in Yemen in the ongoing fighting with the Houthis.
Asked about a possible operational role by Pakistan and Turkiye, the defence minister replied that both nations had a “presence in theatre”, but only Saudi troops were involved in combat operations. On Wednesday, Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry also said Pakistani troops are in Saudi Arabia, adding that they had been in the kingdom “for decades” and across multiple domains.
